Clear Channel's KBME (Best Music Ever) is changing format to all Sports
from a home-grown MYOL format (live during the day and I believe it's
satellite nights and weekends). I read about it in the Houston
Chronicle last week and cannot remember the switch over date but it is
early this month (November.) I haven't heard anything about it on the
station but when it hits, gray-haired listeners are sure to revolt.

KBME is home to "Hall Of Fame" DJ Paul Berlin who broke into Houston
radio over 40-years ago. Most of that time was spent with low-power
rocker KNUZ-am which eventually evolved to a "Pop Standards/MOR/MYOL"
format when it moved to KQUE-FM.

Also lost in the shuffle is long-time KBME morning man Scott Arthur.
He's been doing mornings and has run a small PR firm since before I came
to Houston in 1986. As far as "classic MOR announcers" go, Arthur is my
favorite. He spins the "soft" hits (from the 40's to current day), and
keeps his listeners entertained. He has a "Good Morning" jingle that
must be 40-years old and occasionally has SFX of a cup filling
....implying that he's serving up coffee to the listeners.

PM-driver Bob Elliot only recently took on full-time duties. He'd been
doing fill-in at KBME/KQUE for years in addition to serving as the
studio engineer for various Houston sports broadcast networks including
the Astros.

The KBME format has jumped around a lot over the years.

When SFX bought the KQUE-fm/KNUZ-am properties in 1997 or so they moved
the format back to KNUZ-am which at the time was all news...and changed
the calls to KQUE-am. SFX then changed the fm format to top 40. Berlin
balked at moving back to the low-power am, and his mid-day show moved to
news/talk KSEV which broke format to allow Berlin to play music.

I'm kind of foggy on the other developments but SFX ended up selling the
FM property to a Spanish broadcaster...or perhaps sold both to Clear
Channel which in turn sold the FM to a Spanish broadcaster. Clear
Channel then had KQUE-am simulcast with KKRW-FM, and moved the Pop
Standards format to KBME - 790-am. I don't recall who owned the 790-am
station before that or what its format was.

They then lured Berlin back to do his mid-day show.

Arthur, meanwhile, stuck with the various incarnations of the station
and format through the years.

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Paul Van House
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